McKenzie songs are highly evocative lyrical & melodic gems, lush sibling harmonies intensly delivered, good grooves, acoustically based pop/rock/country production.

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
The McKenzie Brothers Bio

The musical adventure, (the saga), of Jimi and Johnny, The McKenzie Brothers, continues to be written with their new CD release, âSomething To Anchor Toâ.

âIâm sitting here listening to your wonderful recordâ¦this is just fantasticâ¦the songs, the vocals, the productionâ¦it is fantasticâ¦great work!!!
Paul Samuel Dolman, The South Beach Company, Nashville Tennessee.

The Florida born siblings grew up on various musical genres in a family where everyone sang. The brothers effortlessly evolved from Hank Williams Sr. to Everly Brothers harmony, to Beatles-like showmanship, and steeped themselves in Allman Brothers, Eagles, Jackson Browne and CSN&Y. They earned their chops on their Strats, Teles, Gibsons and Taylors, and honed their shows into tight performances through hundreds of hours on stage and in recording studios. This new CD is a culmination of years of dedication to the art of song writing and professionalism. âSomething To Anchor Toâ is a killer recordingâ¦.

First, Johnny graduates from FSU, but has a song recorded by Capricorn Recording artists Cowboy who were then touring with the Allman Brothers. Johnny moves to Macon Ga. and becomes a staff writer for Capricorn. A year or so later, Jimi shows up in Macon and the brothers begin to rekindle the musical spark. Jimi has made a decision to skip college and pursue music full time.

Johnny hears about the early 70âs Key West music scene, and on a whim drives south and scores a full-time gig at what is now The Bull on Duval St. A visiting New Yorker, Howard Levitt, music writer for Record World Magazine, catches Johnnyâs act and writes this review:

âJohnny McKenzieâs songwriting and his coincidental poetry is a thing of beauty. Numbers like âAinât Too Manyâ and âThe Wonderâ (picked up by Capricorn recording artists Cowboy on their second album) are highly evocative lyrical gems. He is a performer, writer and poet par excellence.â

Johnny calls Jimi and says please come to Key West ASAP. The brothers rehearse nonstop for three weeks. The McKenzie Brothers quickly become local stars on the Duval St. club scene, working seven nights a week. All this opportunity to work and write causes a flood of songs, each tested on the Key West audiences. The McKenzie Brothers, soon find themselves opening for Jimmy Buffet, and entertaining at private parties for Key West literary luminaries Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison and others.

âYou can place your bets on Jimi and Johnny McKenzie. Creativeness is evident in the fine mastery and sensitive renditions, both instrumentally and in their vocal harmonies. The McKenzies are vehement, dedicated and deliver with intensity whether singing blues, folk songs or balladsâ¦explosive and tender in turnâ¦the demanded encores were much deserved.ââ¦Dorothy Raymer, The Key West Citizen.

Every musician knows you can burn out staying in one town (even Key West) so Jimi and Johnny take off on a tour that lasts years and covers territory from New York to Asheville, from Nashville to Austin, and back to Key West, pitching songs everywhere. They finally kind of settle down in Tallahassee, but Jimi still says:â Weâll drive all day and set up and play in any club in any town.â Johnny says: âHave guitars, will travel.â

âThe multi-talented McKenzie Brothers are two of Floridaâs finest entertainersâ¦finely blended guitars and excellent vocals.ââ¦.Bruce Nunley, New Look Magazine, Gainesville, Florida

The brothers are fortunate to pick up lots of professional players in their travels, and many great players form the different incarnations of The McKenzie Brothers Band. While on a hiatus from constant touring Jimi gets an offer to cut a solo album at Miamiâs Coconuts Studios. The resulting album, âIâve Got To Goâ, is so well received that a second project called âNew Trickâ is offered to the McKenzie Brothers Band. This band includes Jiggs Walker, Bass, Tom Schmick, Sax, Ron Kay, Drums, and also featured Pat Buchanan, 2006 CMA award winner, Nashville studio guitar player of the year.

âNew Trick, the duo effort, is the hot rockin and rollin album that kicked off the tour that brought the McKenzie Brothers Band back to Tallahassee to open a searing concert for Papa John Creechâ....The Florida Flambeau, Tallahassee Florida.

Though there is some label interest in these records, the brothers decide to remain independent. There is a hunger to take a brake from the duo to follow individual dreams and goals. These interim years are fertile producing a great many creative side projects.
Both brothers continue to write and perform constantly as solo artists, to tour and to actively pitch songs.

Jimi starts Night Sounds Recording Studios, Tallahassee, which becomes a âDemo Heavenâ for songwriters all over the South East, (and where this disc was produced). As a songwriter, Jimi creates a whole new body of work. He also does professional video shoots for MTV & Bill Clinton, and composes and produces sound tracks for nationally aired TV shows and adds.

.Johnny produces a solo CD, âTraveler Of The Windâ with the help of Dan Walters, multi-instrumentalist from Central Florida, and composer/sax man, Sammy Tedder. This recording (plus a few new songs) wins for Johnny, the Songwriter of the Year Award in 2005 from The Songwriters Showcases of America.

Other artists have covered and recorded many Jimi and Johnny songs: âWith Someone Againâ by the show band Fayreweather, âBoundariesâ and âLive Againâ by Randy Lees.
Publishers include Sony/Tree, Dr. Inc. Music, Touchton Music, Germany, Diamonds On The Sea music BMI, and Rivers Without Dams Music ASCAP.